Environmental And Other Factors Affecting Work On  Port Harcourt-Enugu,  Aba -Port Harcourt  Road- Fashola The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing,  Babatunde Raji Fashola,  SAN said what was delaying the completion of the Port Harcourt- Enugu, Aba-Port Harcourt highway were  environmental and other factors. Fashola stated this in Port Harcourt Rivers State  during an  inspection of the Port Harcourt - Enugu section of the highway. He said: "We must first remember that if you do not have water,  you cannot be a Port City. Essentially,  we are building on water. It is a very challenging environment for infrastructure, " he explained. He appealed to the host communities to be patient with  the Federal Government and show cooperation as Government was committed to providing bigger,  better,  wider and safer road for them. "As you can see, our plan is to deliver eight lanes from what was four lanes since we intend  to make our experience better this rainy season than last year." He added that though the work would  not finish this year,Government intended  to finish the four lanes,  divide the four lanes into two;  an incoming and out ward bound traffic that would facilitate free flow of traffic. According to the minister,  that would serve as a form of relief to commuters and other road users  as nine Kilometres of the road from  Eleme junction is in between Port Harcourt urban and metropolitan.  "It is another challenge as it is  already  a built up area, " he said. Speaking on why the road  construction was delayed,  Fashola stated, " A lot of sand filling is going on here,  the road is dug well over two metres and we have to remove the bad soil and replace it with good soil and this accounts for a lot of dredging work going on here." He also explained that part of the road was passing through already built area,  some buildings had to go as well as relocation of power lines.  "These are the challenges and the reasons this road is taking time to be built." Fashola further said that our experience this year would be better than last year. But he quickly called for the cooperation of commuters, communities, Local and State Governments to fast track  the construction of the road. "We expect people to cooperate with us.We expect  people not to park vehicles  on the construction sections because you obstruct traffic. Our highways are not parking lots" He directed  that any vehicle parked on any part of the construction sections of the highway should be  impounded. ...

Construction Of Port Harcourt– Enugu Express Highway Is On Course-Fashola The Honourable of Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, said the on-going expansion and upgrading work on the Port Harcourt– Enugu and the Aba – Port Harcourt Expressway  was  on course. He added that the nine kilometers from Eleme junction to the Imo River and four kilometers of the road to the railway crossing in Aba towards Port Harcourt were sections of the road  being expanded and upgraded from the 4 (four) existing lanes to 8 (eight) lanes so as to accommodate current and future traffic volumes and ease some level of intolerable discomfort especially during the rainy season. Fashola disclosed this during an inspection tour of the highway project in Port- Harcourt,  the Rivers State capital. According to the minister, the road would link the five States in the South -East Geopolitical Zone of the country. The highway has a total length of 41.4km starting from Aba Rail Crossing Bridge within Aba township in Abia state and will finally terminate at Eleme junction Flyover in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Fashola applauded the initiative of the construction company, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Nigeria Limited as it planned  to focus on the first 4 (four) lanes, finish that and put them in to use before reconstruction of the other 4 (four) lanes to reduce the long time spent in traffic by commuters and the community. “If people have two uninterrupted lanes, traffic may be slow but it will move, and therefore we can concentrate on finishing the remaining lanes. When we finish both, then we can have the full compliment of the 8 lane highway.” he said. Fashola said, “Our plan is to make this year better than last year and ultimately by next year, there will be no rainy season challenges because, we should have come out fully from this,”he added. The minister also disclosed that similar construction work had commenced at the Enugu and Okigwe axis of the highway project by different contractors to provide seamless traveling experience. Fashola directed that all vehicles parked at construction sites of highway projects should be impounded, adding that Federal government roads were not for parking lot. “Our highways are not parking lots, people who want to do business must create their own parking lots as well.’’ He urged local and state governments to mobilize their people to be alive to their civic responsibilities and cooperation, pointing out that community and personal hygiene were crucial  in this crisis of Coronavirus (Covid 19). "We must not waste the crisis that Covid-19 represents. It is an opportunity to improve on personal and community hygiene and sanitation such as putting an end to open urination and defecation,” Fashola advised. The Federal Controller of Works Rivers State, Engr. Johnson Fadire who conducted the minister, his team and journalists round the on-going  road construction project said the minister’s inspection was timely and that the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing would do the needful to make sure the road was completed and delivered at the right time. Engr. Fadire also commended the traditional rulers who prevailed on their subjects whose properties were demolished for the construction of the highway for agreeing to accept an initial payment of fifty percent for compensation on their demolished properties. Speaking earlier, the project manager of CCECC Nigeria Limited, Mr. Zou Xiaomei one of the contractors handling section IV of the project in Rivers State said although there were initial challenges on the project but with the support of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing most of the challenges were sorted out. ...

FG's Road Intervention In FCE Eases Access To Seven Schools - Provost Provost of the Federal College of Education, Katsina, Dr Aliyu Idris Funtua has stated that the construction and rehabiliitation of the 1.22km internal road in the Federal College of Education Katsina by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has provided easy access to seven schools within the college. Dr Funtua listed the schools touches by the road within the College as; schools of education, languages, Adult & nor formal education, sciences, primary education & early childhood care, computer science department, and Art and Social sciences school. Other areas where the road passes are, Library and Girls Hostel. The Provost made this remarks during the handing over of the 1.22km internal road project completed by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. "I remain grateful for this gesture, a commendable intervention. The road is the best road in the school that touches seven schools and has provided ease of access within the college" he said Dr Funtua who commmended the Federal Government and the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, also solicited that the minister to extend another 10km road in the school in the near future. The minister was represented at the handing over ceremony by the Katsina state Federal Controller of Works Engr Tunde Balogun. The Minister said that,  " it is undebatable that the quality of education will be impacted by the quality of infrastructure and the leaning environment and those who doubt it should simply listen to some of the feedback from the students of the schools where this type of intervention has taken place." Accordingly, Fashola also disclosed that, out of the forty three of such road intervention in tertiary institutions by his ministry across the country, seven have been completed of which the one in the Federal College of Education Katsina was among Resentatives of the students in the college who spoke include; Zaharadeen Sani, Aliyu Sa'du and Zulaihat Abdulrahim. According to the  students, "the poject was timely, beneficial and has eases access to seven schools for our lectures and easy access to Library and Female Hostels" Zaharadeen said ' this is a remarkable achievement since the inception of this administration and we appreciate the minister for this intervention"   ...